on our broadcast here tonight, deep impact. flooded and then frozen under six feet of water. entire communities cut off. we'll take you there tonight as another storm spools up across the country. also, a mystery's been solved. who was that lone man shoveling the finish line in boston? the measles alert growing with new scares in public places. a children's hospital warning hundreds may have been exposed. and the young mother who says she's changed her mind about not vaccinating her children. air scares on at least 20 flights since saturday. the commercial airliners that have been forced to land because of anonymous messages on social media. and righting history. the incredible moment today, a long overdue apology to the men who stood up for what was right

by simply taking a seat. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. and there is no better way to show the power, size and scope of the weather that has dominated the news this week than to show you the view as recorded in hd by an american astronaut oboard the international space station. video so spectacular we'll repeat it here to show you what we look like at 17,000 miles an hour from 200 miles above the earth. the lights from the population centers on the east coast are visible. you can follow the i-95 corridor while that monster storm swirls offshore in the atlantic. here's what it did on earth. a wave the size of a house in marshfield, massachusetts, where some lost everything to the relentless atlantic ocean. nbc's miguel almaguer is there tonight to start us off. miguel, good evening.

>> reporter: brian, good evening. this small community was in the bullseye of this storm. it was snow, wind and ice that did damage, but it was the ocean that showed no mercy. it literally blasted a hole right through this home. anything the water touched it brought to its knees. this home and so many others in this area are a complete loss. tonight, ocean street looks more like an icebox. an entire community frozen over encased in ice. when this bone-chilling storm blew in, it blew out most of jennifer bruno's home. she lost everything she had. >> had to get out real quick. >> reporter: this seawall that protected her now blankets her living room floor. >> the ocean decided to just come in. waves were over the house. and, i mean, look. you see the damage. >> reporter: the destruction stretches for blocks.

>> this front room here is the only room that's left. >> reporter: tim maddox lost his home and nearly his life. this is what it looked like when waves crashed in. water blew maddox's windows into his face. >> no one expected it to be this bad. all of a sudden, wham, big storm. >> reporter: much of marshfield buried under a foot of snow and six feet of water. with the temperature expected to drop to 12 degrees tonight, the rush is on to restore power. it's not just the lights but also the heat that's out. the entire region was pummelled. maine and new hampshire under a state of emergency. on long island, new york, people are struggling to dig out, 30 inches of snow here. they broke records in massachusetts. nearly three feet of snowin and around worcester where the roads are dangerous. >> total nightmare. this is one bad storm. >> reporter: boston is digging out too, 23 inches. and now the mad haul to what's

called snow farms, fields where it's all dumped to await the thaw. it's not just cities, citizens are pitching in too. this photo of chris ladoni shoveling the iconic boston marathon finish line took social media by storm. tonight, new england is buried >> it's a very special city and didn't think it deserved to be covered under all that snow. >> reporter: tonight, new england is buried in snow while marshfield is frozen in ice. the sun has set on another frigid day, a town in for another cold night. the blizzard that coated these homes in snow and ice lasted 14 hours. even though the sun was up today, they did not thaw out. they are frozen on the outside and freezing on the inside. many may not be able to return here for days if not weeks. brian. >> miguel almaguer reporting from marshfield, mass to start us off tonight. thanks. the island of nantucket has been particularly hard hit where residents there have been cut

off from the mainland. many of them still without power in the cold. tonight, meteorologist dylan dreyer has made her way there on one of the first ferries in since the storm. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we just got off one of the first ferries here to the island, and most of nantucket is still without power. the airport is still shut down as well. and after talking to some residents, they say this is one of the worst storms they've ever seen. ice and flooding have crippled the island of nantucket. 78-mile-per-hour hurricane force winds, tree limbs bent from the heavy snow triggering power to go out across the entire island. thousands are still in the dark more than 24 hours later. >> after it was all over, you know, when we're kind of looking around now going, man, there's wires down everywhere, there's tree limbs. >> reporter: we were on the first batch of public ferries to the island where 40 utility trucks from as far away as canada were loaded aboard. >> ice is a lot worse than just wind or rain. this is a hurricane in the

winter. >> reporter: these nantucket natives weren't on the island when the storm hit. now just trying to get home. what have you been hearing it's like? >> my family's over there and they lost power in our neighborhood around 7:00 a.m. yesterday morning. >> very resilient, very strong group of people and we all work together. it's a close-knit community. we're like family. >> reporter: people are now out to take the ferry to nantucket, but vehicle space is reserved for utility and emergency vehicles only to get the island back up and running. at nantucket cottage hospital, danielle smith and her boyfriend are relieved to be with their newborn baby caden after giving birth at the height of the storm. >> once the lights flickered, that's when it really sunk in that this is a serious storm and i'm delivering a baby in a very serious snowstorm. >> reporter: today, governor baker surveyed the damage and visited an emergency shelter at the high school. under a state of emergency. now, nantucket is trying to get back up and running. public schools are reopening on

thursday. as for the next couple of storms, we're in the middle of an active pattern. it looks like thursday night into friday a quick-moving storm will race through the northeast. could be enough to produce another two to four inches, especially a little further north in new england even including boston about two to four inches. and sunday night into monday, at first we were watching for a potential nor'easter bringing rain to the northeast, but it looks like now it should stay far enough to the south and it's just a glancing blow. brian. >> hard to imagine more weather at this point. dylan dreyer on the beautiful island of nantucket. so hard-hit in this storm. let's shift our focus to the west right now. an alarming notice is starting to appear on doors of stores and medical facilities in several states asking people to remember if they were there on a certain day at a certain time because they may have been exposed to the measles. there were more cases in the outbreak just confirmed today. we get our report tonight from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: 4-month-old layton is under quarantine today, too

young for the measles vaccine but one of nearly 200 people who may have been exposed to the virus at a phoenix children's hospital facility. >> it's infuriating to know that all she did was go to a doctor's appointment that she has to go to and she was exposed. >> reporter: arizona officials expect to see even more measles parents as part of a national outbreak now affecting more than 90 people. most cases are believed to be linked to disneyland. visitors who caught the virus returned home and in some cases spread it to others in their communities. in northern california signs warn, you may have been exposed at local restaurants and stores. measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases. if i were to have the virus and expose it to ten unvaccinated people, everybody would catch it except for one. it's why almost all doctors urge vaccination. but at first holly elliot ignored that recommendation. >> one of my good friends said i'm really uncomfortable letting my children play with your children because of your

decision not to vaccinate. >> reporter: elliot eventually changed her mind after her daughter got sick last year from whooping cough, which a vaccine may have prevented. >> i let my pride keep me from vaccinating my children. and i'm hoping that maybe other people will be able to overcome their own pride and make the right decision. >> reporter: the decision to vaccinate for more protection and for her more peace of mind. hallie jackson, nbc news, los angeles. >> all of this raises a natural question. and we have a quick question here to our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. do adults, does anyone need to get a booster shot in this environment? >> blanket recommendation, no. if you have not had measles, if you have not been vaccinated, then that's a reason to consider getting a booster, or obviously if you live in one of these areas where the outbreaks are then of course talk to your doctor about getting a vaccination. those are the things because we want people even adults protected. >> nancy, thank you as always.

tonight, the fbi is on the hunt for a person or persons behind a series of threatening messages on social media. they have led to at least 20 air scares on commercial flights over the u.s. just since saturday. many of them are bomb threats made in the name of isis that mentions specific flight numbers. we get details on this tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it's the kind of threat the fbi and the airlines take very seriously. saturday january 24th -- >> southwest 2492. >> southwest 2492 is here. >> sir, this is fbi. i need to confirm that flight deck is secure. over. >> affirmative, flight deck is secured. >> reporter: southwest 2492 and delta 1156 both intercepted by f-16s and diverted to atlanta after bomb threats posted on twitter by someone claiming to represent isis. on sunday delta flight 1061, los angeles to orlando diverted to dallas after someone tweeted, we

are isis, we are here. gulf channel producer onboard the flight saw the tweet while still in the air. >> so to see that and to see someone say, you know, we are isis, we are here, we're on the plane. i mean, that was absolutely terrifying because you don't really know what your looking for. you don't know if someone looks suspicious or not. >> reporter: law enforcement sources say it's happened at least 20 times since saturday involving the nation's biggest airline. >> delta 1156, southwest 2492, request all flight decks remain secure. law enforcement is approaching both aircraft at this time. >> reporter: once on the ground police isolate then thoroughly check each plane and their passengers. >> if you fail to take one seriously and something bad happens, then there's going to be real consequences as a result of that. so you have to take every one seriously. and it gums up the system. >> reporter: it's also expensive, costing the airlines tens of thousands of dollars per threat while inconveniencing thousands of passengers. tonight, all of the twitter accounts involved have been suspended.

federal authorities tell us they believe this is the work of hokesters and involves a five-year maximum prison term and a quarter-million-dollar fine and the fbi is working the case. >> really dangerous trend. tom costello at washington national for us. tom, thanks. the latest isis hostage deadline is looming with two lives in the balance. the terrorist group claimed it would kill a japanese journalist and jordanian military pilot if this demand wasn't met. it wants a jordanian prisoner jordan said it is willing to give her up in exchange for its pilot. no word though so far on whether isis will accept this deal. we now know the cause of a devastating fire that killed four children and their grandparents at a mansion in annapolis, maryland last week. fire officials say it was the family christmas tree ignited. it had dried out after the

holidays. electrical fire spread quickly from there, which is why it was burning so hot and so fast when first responders arrived. still ahead for us tonight, an amazing moment today, eruption of applause in the courtroom. an extraordinary apology to a brave group of citizens who helped change history. later, the puppy who was a runaway winner a year ago returns tonight to defend the crown against some tough competition. n. [announcer:] what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? what if one push up could prevent heart disease? [man grunts] one wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease- pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you ... from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain difficulty breathing and may even put you in the hospital. prevnar 13 ® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13 ®

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they were laws that needed to be broken, but they were laws nonetheless in 1961 when nine young african-american men made a decision that would make them criminals in the eyes of an oppressive authority. what they did led to convictions that would follow them on for the next 54 years, until this very day when the courts finally sought to make amends. we get their story tonight from nbc's mark potter. >> the flawed and unconstitution -- >> reporter: in a packed courthouse on an emotional day, the men known as the friendship nine finally had their convictions overturned, 54 years after they were jailed for sitting at a whites only lunch counter. >> the convictions for trespassing in january of 1961 are vacated. [ applause ] >> reporter: the story of the friendship nine began in the early 1960s when african-americans risked beatings and arrests to sit at segregated lunch counters in the

jim crow south. in rock hill, south carolina, a group of students from friendship college came here to the then-mccorey's five and dime to sit in these chairs at this counter to challenge segregation. >> i remember being grabbed up by my belt and thrown to the floor and dragged out of the store and it was police officers. >> reporter: the protesters were then dragged to jail. >> what got me is when they put me in the cell and closed that door. and that clang. you can still hear it. >> reporter: what happened next after that cell door slammed would define the friendship nine and re-energize the american civil rights movement. instead of paying bail to get out, the friendship nine chose to serve their 30-day sentence of hard labor, drawing lots of attention. the effort to have their sentences overturned was

inspired by children's author kimberly johnson, who wrote a book about them. >> now we get a chance to see that justice does find its way back. >> reporter: in court today the south carolina solicitor spoke directly to the friendship nine. >> so allow me to take this opportunity to extend to each of you my heartfelt apologies for what happened to you in 1961. [ applause ] >> reporter: mark potter, nbc news, rock hill, south carolina. and we are back in a moment with the record shattering news from a big american brand. also, the big city mayor who says the air is so bad the place is unlivable.

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oates, we are the world recorded 30 years ago today just in case you wanted to feel old. and about the last few decades of scientific advances, without the work of a man named charles towns, there would likely be no lasers so no cds or supermarket scanners, no guided missiles or lasik surgery or laser light shows, no atomic clock to measure time accurately. the inventor and scientist charles towns has died at the age of 99. he shared in the nobel prize in 1964. the richest company in the world is apple to the tune of the most profitable quarter of any company ever. a new record $18 billion in profit in one quarter. cash on hand including investments $178 billion. no other company even comes close. it's enough money to give every american $556 though they have no plans to do so. their business model, you see, only works the other way around. the only thing worse than venturing out on a cold morning these days to start your car and

warm it up is discovering someone has stolen your car while it was in your driveway warming up. indianapolis police are investigating 11 cars stolen while warming up outside people's homes. then there's the mayor of beijing who according to state media now admits his city is unlivable because of its constant smog and terrible air quality. he says it can't be a first tier international city without clean air standards that are enforced. something he says they're working on. tourism was reported down 10% in beijing. considering president bush 41 took delivery of the current air force one back in 1990, it long ago came time for a new presidential aircraft, which the next president will take delivery of. the pentagon announced today the contract as expected will stay in this country, it went to boeing for the latest generation 747, the 800 series. when we come back, this year's super bowl ads now with

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whose team is not in the game, new york giants, millions like watching for the event of it all especially the commercials. this year with ad rates at a reported $4.5 million for a 30-second spot, many sponsors aren't waiting for the game to begin. we get the story tonight from nbc's joe fryer. ♪ >> reporter: you no longer need a super bowl game to watch a super bowl ad. today, budweiser unleashed its latest heartwarming tale featuring that curious golden lab puppy and his protective clydesdales pal. >> and action, don. >> reporter: you can say the creative team behind this trilogy is defending its crown at leader super bowl commercial of the year. >> we've won the last two years. so there's a bullseye on us. we like the bullseye. >> reporter: go daddy took aim trying to poke fun at budweiser.

>> i hope people all get the gag and like it. >> reporter: but online critics said no daddy upset that in the story line the puppy was sold online. the company quickly pulled the ad. >> hi, i'm kim -- >> reporter: more advertisers like t-mobile are releasing spots early to the dismay of those who watch the big game just for commercials. but there's a strategy behind this pre-game warmup. >> before the game you've got a week or two to engage people, which is just a terrific amount of time to work with. >> reporter: companies like skittles are revealing trailers for what will air on sunday. they're essentially commercials for commercials. snickers even says it's teaser gets 2.5 million media hits, the real ad will be released early. >> shut up, mom! >> reporter: all of it is designed how do you breakthrough all this clutter right now? and how do you make your brand and business so interesting that people want to get on facebook and they want to get on twitter and they want to talk about it? >> reporter: because super bowl commercials can be just as competitive as all this stuff happening in between. joe fryer, nbc news.

that is our broadcast on a wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

♪ look it's buddy. >> ship him out. >> under immediate pressure go daddy pulls this super bowl spot but was that the plan all along? i'm billy